the theme of subalternity in mahasweta devi's Rudali

The kite runner explores the idea of social hierarchy and how is causes discrimination to those surrounded by it. Social hierarchy is organized through a social structure called the caste system that separates the different social classes. The caste system plays a very important role in the kite runner. The book illustrates how the discrimination of the Hazaras is accepted and practiced by the Pashtuns. Their differences have led to the Pashtuns being the majority group and the Hazaras as the minority group. This discrimination has become built into society and effects everyday life. As Pashtuns, Amir and Baba have the opportunities to receive an education and start their own business. While the Hazaras, Hassan and Ali, may only work as servants. This discrimination

In “Hell-Heaven”, the actions of Pranab Chakraborty, a Bengali family friend of the narrator, shapes those around him, including the narrator’s family; as the story progresses, his influence on those around him becomes more profound. The two characters that are affected by Pranab in

Mahasweta Devi’s short story, “Giribala,” is about the life of Giribala, a girl of Talsana village located in India. Born into a caste in a time when it was still customary to pay a bride-price, Giri is sold to Aulchand by her father. From this point on, we see a series of unfortunate, tragic events that take place in Giri’s life as a result of the circumstances surrounding Giri’s life. There are many issues in Giri’s life in India that Devi highlights to readers. First, the economic instability of the village leads to an extremely poor quality of life for the lower, working classes. Next, the cruel role of women determined by men in society is to either satisfy the sexual desires of men or to reproduce offspring who can work or be sold off to marriages. There are also other social norms and beliefs which discriminate against women that will be discussed.

Her unforeseen actions are due to the rest care tradition, which has progressively worsened her mental state and caused her to overlook her role as a caring wife in desperation to escape the imprisonment of the tradition. As witnessed from the two short stories, conflicts arise amidst families due to the events of old traditions, establishing a divide between family members that is difficult to overcome once constructed.

In Afghanistan, ethnicity has become the leading factor in socioeconomic status, causing the income inequality to be widespread. As a result, the upper class is given better access to higher education and professional training, including studying abroad. Since a large portion of the upper class consists of Pashtuns, they are given the top governmental positions including army generals, judges, governors, and civil service officers (“Social Classes”). Many rulers throughout history restrained the Hazaras to the Hazarajat in the mountainous region both physically and psychologically by using force, law, and manipulation. Given that the Hazaras’ outside origin is frequently used against them, only a few of them actually embrace their Genghis Khan descent proudly

Throughout the novel you can see the corruption of power via characters and their cultures. The Hazaras being a minority group, practicing the Shi’a Muslim religion, they were treated unequally. The affluent Pashtuns have discriminated the Hazaras for decades and considered them as servants. The separation of ethnic groups in Afghanistan, led to the Pashtuns utilizing their power to abolish the Hazaras out of their history. The two groups have a ongoing ethnic conflict that is inscribed into a child at a young age "I found one of my mother's old history books. . . An entire chapter dedicated to Hassan's people! In it, I read that my people, the Pashtuns, had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras. It said the Hazaras had tried to rise against the Pashtuns in the nineteenth century, but the Pashtuns had "quelled them with unspeakable violence." The book said my people had killed the Hazaras, driven them from their lands, burned their homes, and sold their women."(Hosseini 9) It is not socially acceptable for Pashtuns and Hazaras to be acquainted. Both groups do not believe the other is a “true” Muslim and express this through violent outbursts. Nevertheless, there are exceptions to these social norms. Baba, Amir's father was a Pashtun and wealthy but throughout the novel has not followed the religious expectations of a Sunni Muslim such as despising

Lastly, another situation in which the theme, abuse of power and bullying, is evidently portrayed is when society’s power is abused and bullies Hazaras. Racial conflict is common, especially in Kabul, when those

Similar to people of colour, the Hazaras were also extremely despised, and looked down upon in Afghanistan. They were often kept as servants, as shown through Hassan’s case, in which his family had been servants for Amir’s family, and they were considered of lower value and worth than the Pashtuns. From an early age in his childhood, Hassan has therefore dealt with racial segregation and actions expressing distaste towards him from the larger community. It was very clear that as someone of lesser authority and worth due to his ethnicity, he was merely someone who did housework for Amir. When society itself is promoting acts of racism and disdain toward the Hazaras while often keeping them as slaves, those who are of that group cannot help but feel unsafe, or unhappy with the ethnicity they were born into. The hatred towards the Hazaras can lead to the victims slowly believing these insults. This would make them hesitant to approach others for fear of being humiliated about their race. Hassan’s decrease in self-worth is evident when he

powerful and moving story about two brothers, however it also does an outstanding job at portraying the culture and norms of Afghanistan; both the positive aspects and the negative aspects. Hosseini directly and

In particular, Amir’s morals and beliefs are influenced by his social position in the caste system. For example, left speechless by Hassan’s question, Amir thinks to himself, “What does he know, that illiterate hazara? He’ll never be anything but a cook”. Amir is offended by Hassan and insults him. He makes remarks of Hassan’s lower social status. This happens because of the fact that Amir subconsciously looks down at Hassan for being a Hazara while also recognizing his own privileged position of a Pashtun. Further, because Amir has been surrounded by other Pashtun who look down, criticize, and insult Hazaras, these thoughts have naturally resided within Amir. Consequently, Amir begins to believe Hazaras are less than him as seen when he insults Hassan with rude remarks of his social position.

Hosseini uses a variety of literary devices, syntax features and different feelings and attitudes to portray different aspects of afghan culture. Different characters seem to have different views towards cultures, such as Assef and the Hazara’s and Baba’s views of Muslim tradition and the Mullah Fatiullah Khan, with Hosseini using literary devices such as Foreshadowing to portray these views. Amir believes in a lot of Afghans culture and the religious traditions he gets taught, however Hosseini also shows he doesn’t believe in some traditions, such as the Buzkashi tournament. The theme of social statuses is very clear throughout the chapters, and includes

The village Laxhmangar is fully corrupted by the four animals. The storkes and his son’s Mukesh and Ashok bribes the politician to run their coal industry. The corruption is made by Balram’s school teacher in the mid-day meal scheme, which affects many children without food. Adiga has also shows the corruption that takes place in hospitals, especially in the Government hospitals. This shows the author is very attached to the miidle class people to examine their suffering. When a man does to the line of poverty it is understable that another man is

One major link includes the fight between an oppressed group and their persecutors. Whether it’s the proletariat and the bourgeois in “The Communist Manifesto,” or the inequality of genders in “The Second Sex,” or the flight of the African Americans in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In all of these texts we are shown how easy it is for one group to abuse their power and create unfair rules and regulations only imposed on the more inferior members of society. Each group of oppressor thrives off of alienating, and subjugating their inferiors.

Adiga describes the passiveness of the poor as a Roosters Coop, chickens in “wire-mesh cages” at a market. He also writes that these roosters “see the organs of their brothers lying around them.They know they are next, yet they cannot rebel (147).” The isolation of the poor occurs because of their inherited obedience and indifference to their own welfare and their community’s. Indian society and culture conditioned people of a lower status to see themselves as hopeless and inadequate to their rich counterparts. This feeling of unworthiness frequents the minds of the lower caste and suppresses from ample amounts of opportunities. Disillusionment from various lifestyles and certain privileges engenders envy for affluent classes, which then turns into abhorrence.

Hosseini puts an emphasis on the presence of class discrimination in Afghanistan where the Pashtuns are the pure class that dominates over the minority group of Hazaras and the poor in the society. The novel reveals the violence and cruelty predominant in the society against the weak in the society. In fact, people cannot get married in another class that is not of their status and the Hazaras are the most affected class in the story. The Hazaras (people from the low class) are degraded, and this is evident with the emotional, physical, psychological abuse they get from the Pashtuns (Bloom 46). The minority group from the Hazaras is violated by the upper class who are the Pashtuns because they are powerless. A good example is that of Amir and Hassan whereby Amir had established a class distinction between them because his friend was from the minority group and he was the son of a wealthy businessperson in Kabul. Hassan and his father were treated like servants from a low